A Dark Story
by Aria6
Summary: This is loosely based on Silent Hill. So it might end up being creepy as hell. There will be romance, adventure and Axel/Roxas however. Enjoy1
1. Chapter 1

It was a dark, moonless night. The air was thick with fog, drifting over the road like a wet blanket. It was a poor day to drive and a poorer day to hitchhike, but for some there was no choice. A spark of fire briefly lit the fog, then guttered into a dull ember. The man slowly walking down the side of the road sucked slowly on his cigarette, savoring the taste of it. He didn't have many left.

Glancing down the road he grimaced ruefully, pushing a hand through bright red hair. He was regretting his decision to part company with the trucker who gave him a lift. But the man was going down to New Orleans, and Axel aimed to head towards the sunshine coast. He'd had enough of the South, for now at least. California was just the change of pace he needed. But that had put him on the road again and the redhead was beginning to wonder if anyone used this road. It was strangely deserted, even for a dark and foggy night. Shifting his shoulders, he was glad of the reflective strips he'd added to his black leather jacket. They really did look stupid, but they would at least give him a fighting chance of not being run over in the dark. And maybe someone would stop and give him a lift.

Axel walked up a hill and the mist parted for a moment, revealing a craggy landscape full of brush and small trees. He squinted then smiled as he spotted the incoming headlights. That truck was going the wrong direction so there would be no point in trying to flag it down, but it was still nice to see a bit of traffic. He continued to walk, the gravel crunching under his feet. Glancing down he saw frost on the stones and felt vaguely surprised. It really wasn't that cold out. Or at least, he didn't think so –

_SCREEECH!_ Axel looked up in absolute shock at the sound of tires squealing across the pavement. He felt paralyzed as he saw the truck, a big eighteen wheeler skidding along the pavement. White lights illuminated a figure and Axel thought there was something _wrong _about it but there was no time to look. There was only time to run like hell as the out of control rig slid towards him.

He almost made it. Unfortunately, almost only counts in horseshoes. The mirror clipped his shoulder and Axel heard something snap before everything went dark.

* * *

Axel awoke to the taste of blood in his mouth and a strange absence of pain.

_Shit. I am hurt really bad. _Was his first, disconnected thought. Then he tried to sit up, expecting bolts of pain. He was more than surprised when he felt almost nothing. _The hell? _Checking himself over he found only a few scrapes and bruises. Running his tongue over his teeth, he found he'd bit his lip which was the source of the blood taste. But that was all. Extremely puzzled but not about to question his good fortune, the redhead slowly levered himself to his feet and looked for the rig that had almost killed him.

It was on its side, not far from the road. Axel began to walk over to it and looked down with a frown as his feet crunched on gravel. Blinking, he glanced down the road and saw nothing but more gravel.

"Oh." Axel vaguely wondered if suddenly coming to the end of paving and hitting a gravel stretch could send a big rig out of control. But why would an eighteen wheeler be going down a path like this? It hardly looked big enough. Axel was very vague on the details but he remembered glancing at a map in the earlier rig he'd caught a lift on. Certain routes had been marked in red and the trucker had told him it was because they were safe for a truck his size. Big rigs weren't cars, they had to travel certain routes. Then he frowned again. This road hadn't been small when he'd been walking down it. It hadn't been gravel either. "Pah." Tossing aside all the questions he went to see if the driver of the car was alive. Although if he was, Axel was tempted to fix that. The man must have been going too fast. Except… for that figure he'd seen. Axel quickly glanced up and down the road but saw nothing. It must have been a figment of his imagination.

Opening the door to the rig, Axel saw that his vague thoughts of revenge weren't going to matter anyway. The occupant was most certainly dead, judging from the vast amounts of blood splattered over the seats. The redhead swallowed hard as he looked at the mess, feeling the rising tide of unpleasant memories…

_Antiseptic smell trying to drown out the stench of blood and hot vomit. Hands touching him, trying to be gentle but no touch could be anything but hurtful. Bright red hair darkened with blood and the screams…_

Axel took a slow, deep breath and wished he hadn't as the smell of the freshly spilled blood clogged his nostrils. He put a hand over his face, firmly recalling himself to the present. The man was surely dead, but where was the body? He couldn't see it anywhere. Circling the truck he found no sign of it at all, not even a blood trail.

"Weird." He murmured to himself. Really unsettling too and he rubbed his arms, trying to gain some heat. It was cold now and the temperature just seemed to be dropping. Briefly he considered seeing if he could get the rig back on the road, although he flinched internally at the thought of sitting on those seats. But then he dismissed the idea. He knew how to drive a van, although he wasn't licensed for it, but this kind of rig was something else again. Glancing around one last time, he breathed in his hands a moment to warm them before walking down the road. Gravel crunched under his feet as he began the long journey to the next town.

The mist closed over the ruined rig and it vanished from sight.

The walk was long and the mist only kept building. Axel was shivering as he walked and watching his breath plume in the air. That was strange but not impossibly so... it was early spring and weirder things had happened. He could remember a snowstorm in June once. Not being able to see more than a few feet, though, was really disturbing. So was the lack of sound. All he could hear was the sound of his own feet on the road. There wasn't even an echo. No crickets, no birds.

"They must all be hiding." He muttered to himself as he increased the pace. "I wish I could too." Axel thought longingly of a warm bed and a hot cup of tea, sweetened with honey. A hot croissant for breakfast, spread with nutella. He could almost taste the chocolate nut flavor...

"...!" Axel stopped short and blinked as the mist abruptly parted. He was standing on the top of a hill and below him, there was a small town. Smiling in relief, he started down the hill. He had a few bucks, enough for a night at a cheap hotel. It wouldn't be hard to find some kind of job that involved a lot of muscle. At his last stop, he'd helped tear down a bunch of barbed wire fences and replace them with horse safe fencing. It had been a bit of a surprise to find out that barbed wire didn't cut it for horses, but when he'd torn one of his pants on it he'd realized why. Starting down the road to the town he wondered if he'd be doing that again. There were plenty of farms here and removing barbed wire was a pain so maybe.

His steps slowed as he reached the town. It was still misty, although he could see farther than before. The buildings were – old. Very old. Axel frowned as he glanced up at weathered wood and rusty steel. This wasn't some kind of ghost town, was it? But it seemed too big for that.

"Hello?" He said without thinking and cursed himself. It was either very late at night or early in the morning by now. Of course no one would be out and about. Walking through the mist he noticed that the roads here were paved. It was something of a relief. Axel glanced up at the signs as he walked down the main street, hoping to find a hotel. "Oh thank god." Axel felt a surge of relief as he spotted the Super 8 sign. Although it was out and badly corroded. "You'd think corporate would have something to say about that. I should complain." Axel quipped to hide his discomfort. This whole place was rather creepy. Especially with the damn fog...

Telling himself firmly he was being a sensitive idiot he opened the door to the Super 8. It groaned wickedly and he made a mental note not to expect much. Whoever ran this place clearly wasn't into basic maintenance. Axel glanced around at the lobby and frowned. It was worse than he'd expected, with dark stains on the walls and cracked and peeling paint. There was a lamp in the corner giving off a feeble glow but it wasn't much. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out a small hand light and flicked it on. The little beam was strong but didn't have much of a radius and Axel sent it across the room, looking for the front desk. "..." The desk was empty and the chair behind it was smashed. More of the dark stains covered the walls and Axel could see a shattered coffee cup. No doubt that was the source of the stains. "Is anyone there?" He called out cautiously but there was no answer. Hesitating a moment he began walking up the stairs. Perhaps whoever was manning the desk had stepped out. He could always pay in the morning.

It was eerily silent as he walked up the stairs, except for the groaning of the wood and the fine shiver of plaster dust that dropped from the ceiling. It made him wonder if the building was abandoned, but it looked too sturdy for that despite the dirt. He opened the door to a room and hesitated, looking inside. There was a bed, a small desk with a chair and a mirror. The mirror was crusty with dirt and the bed didn't appeal to him. It was tight and well made but an appalling shade of yellow that made him think of urine. The blankets were probably just old but he didn't want to touch it.

Leaving that room, he began to look through the others. None of them were locked and none showed any signs of recent cleaning. Except for the last. The smallest room on the floor, it was tucked in beside the broom closet. To his surprise, the room was almost livable. The bed was messy and looked like the sheets hadn't been changed in years, but they were whitish and didn't look actively threatening. The mirror had been cleaned off a bit and there were only a few faint stains on the floor. There was a battered cup on the dresser and a pitcher of water. Axel licked his lips and went over to that, picking up a glass and filling it. He took a sip of the water. It was stale but good enough, and he'd lost his water bottle when the truck had nearly hit him. Taking another drink he glanced at the window –

"YAH!" Axel leapt back. Then he blinked and breathed deeply. "It's just mist. Just mist." The creepy way it had looked like a face was just an illusion. Shaking his head, he went to the window and yanked shut the curtains. "Maybe I'll just get out of town tomorrow." This place felt almost haunted. Axel didn't believe in ghosts or the paranormal. Still, that had been creepy...

Axel folded pulled off his shoes, folded himself in the blankets and tried to sleep. The blankets had a warm, musky smell that he found quiet pleasant. Soon he was dozing.

It would all be better in the morning.


	2. Unpleasant Meetings

Axel shifted and opened his eyes, yawning. The room spun around him for a moment and he was puzzled as he stared up at a peeling, dirty ceiling.

"Oh. Right." The previous days events came back to him in a rush and Axel sat up, glancing around the room. It was still reasonably comfortable although not even close to luxurious. There wasn't even a TV or a radio. That struck the redhead as odd... didn't even the worst hotel have TV's these days? And Super 8 was a chain. Shaking his head, the redhead opened the door to the bathroom, peering inside cautiously. To his pleasant surprise it was only moderately disgusting. Someone had been using the toilet brush at least, even if they didn't have any cleaners. The bathtub was very yellow but the water was hot and Axel took a quick shower, feeling almost human when he was done. He put on his change of underwear and shirt before walking to the window and pulling open the curtains.

"?" Axel stopped dead, staring at the mist. It hadn't lightened overnight. In fact, it was like he'd never slept at all. It was dark outside, overcast and he could just barely make out a sullen glow through the heavy clouds. Mist swirled in front of the window and he stepped back with a shiver as it seemed to form faces. Screaming, agonized faces. Averting his eyes he pulled the curtains shut again and swallowed hard, considering what to do. "Go pay for the room and get some food." He said firmly, motivating himself. He was starting to feel pretty hungry. There was no mini-bar, not that that was a surprise. Leaving the room he noticed again how hideously run down the rest of the motel was. He was really going to complain to Super 8 about this. They usually weren't in the business of lending their name to rat infested hellholes!

Axel's uneasiness increased as he walked down the stairs and found the lobby still deserted. Only one thing had changed... the lamp in the corner was smashed and the shards were coated with a dark liquid that looked like blood. Axel flicked on his hand light again, playing it over the register. Frowning, he leaned over the desk to see if the cash box was still in place. Maybe there had been a theft –

"Ew!" Axel recoiled at the lumps of dried stuff behind the reception desk. Carefully playing the light over it, he tentatively decided it might have been a rat once. Although it was very hard to tell, just indefinable lumps of flesh. Fortunately it looked much too small for a person. The cash seemed to be missing and Axel decided to go report it to the police. This just wasn't normal. "Isn't there a phone around here?" There hadn't been one in the room and there wasn't one here either. Shaking his head, Axel quickly left the hotel. "I'm starting to really hate this place." The only plus side so far was that he hadn't paid for his stay. But the extremely huge negative was that everything except for that one room was creepy as hell.

_Stop imagining things. There's a fog, it's cold and the hotel sucks. The help wandered off. Stop imagining things. _Axel told himself firmly as walked down the road, looking for a pay phone or an open store. Anything he might be able to make a phone call from. Maybe he would call home too. His parents wouldn't be too happy to hear from him but right now he'd take anything he could get.

"A pet store?" Axel stopped hesitantly in front of the store, looking at the sign. It was carved wood and seemed in good repair, with a painted smiling cat on it. The cat seemed to have blood on its mouth. "Hm." Axel didn't much care for that but it was a shop. He opened the door and grimaced as he saw the lights weren't on inside. Playing his light over the cages inside he abruptly decided not to go inside. They were full of lumps that did not in any way look like living pets and he didn't want to get close enough to examine them closely. He stepped back and abruptly bumped into something. He glanced over and took off running with a scream. He ran until he had a stitch in his side and his leg was twinging. Finally pausing he leaned against a bus stop, panting heavily for breath.

"What was that? What the fuck was that?" Axel wheezed out, mind flashing back to what he'd seen in that brief moment. He didn't want to remember but couldn't help it. It had been fleshy and human looking, but there had been no eyes or nose... just a hideous, gaping mouth full of sharp teeth and a tongue that was far too long and black. "I'm getting out of this place. Right now!" It would be a long walk and he was hungry as hell but starvation was preferable to whatever _that_ was. He quickly traced his steps back out of town, keeping an eye open for anything else odd. He saw a few silhouettes in the mist but didn't get near them. They might be people or they might not.

As he walked, Axel mulled over what had just happened. He didn't believe in the paranormal but every explanation was just as far fetched. The best he could come up with was that maybe... maybe it was some sort of halloween costume? Maybe someone was filming him for a prank show? If that was the case Axel was going to kill someone. Well, beat them up anyway. He couldn't bring himself to believe that though. It was one thing to scare a person and another to actually give them a heart attack. This was going in the wrong direction.

It wasn't hard to find his way out of town though. It got a lot easier when Axel said to hell with the law and hot wired a car. It was a rusted piece of junk but it started and he felt very safe inside. If he encountered that _thing_ again he planned to run it over. If it was a person in a costume, tough.

"No Your Honor, I never stole that car." Axel quipped to himself as he hit the gravel road leading out of town. He had to go slowly in the fog. "I wasn't anywhere near it, I was at home with my wife and my 2.3 kids." Reaching over he flicked on the radio and frowned as it spat out a burst of static. "Right." Playing with the dial one handed, he tried to find a station but could only find more static. Finally giving up he switched it off in disgust and concentrated on the road, hoping it would lead to somewhere with food. Axel was beginning to feel like his stomach was trying to knaw through his back. And would this fog every lift?

"Finally." He muttered to himself as the fog began to clear. But then he hit the brakes, pulling the car to a stop and stepping out, staring in disbelief. He was on a hill and the mist had cleared a bit so he could see the town below it... a very familiar town. "Shit." Axel breathed the word as the hair on the back of his neck prickled. He hadn't turned back and the road hadn't curved. How had he ended up back here? "I don't believe in the supernatural!" He protested to the fog.

_That's too bad. The supernatural believes in you. _The fog seemed to dance mockingly and Axel shivered a moment before getting back into the car. He growled as he started it again and headed down the hill. He needed some food. Then he needed a weapon. Axel could feel his temper rising.

He was not going to run away again.

* * *

"A diner." Axel pulled his car into the parking lot, noting plenty of other rusty, tattered vehicles. They all looked very old and ideal candidates to steal if this one failed to start. Although he wondered if it counted as stealing when the vehicles looked abandoned and the town was infested with monsters. Probably. He had no faith in the legal system. Why let little things like common sense get in the way of regulation?

Axel paused a moment to look over the diner. The sign was rusted and falling apart. One letter had separated entirely and was missing. The windows of the diner were boarded up and the redhead swallowed, hoping there would be light inside and some food. His hopes weren't high when he opened the door -

"Yah!" Axel dodged frantically as a pipe came out of nowhere, knocking the door out of his hands. He got ready to punch something and then blinked. "Who?" It wasn't another monster. It was a cute little blonde kid – no, not really a kid, he was older than that. He looked maybe fourteen but the hardness in his eyes and face hinted that that was an illusion. Axel tentatively guessed he was sixteen but possibly quite a bit older. "What did you do that for?" He demanded as the blonde looked at him suspiciously. The boy suddenly seemed to relax, lowering the pipe.

"I thought you were one of the monsters." He said gruffly. "Get inside before something follows you." Axel lifted an eyebrow at the tone but quickly shut the door. The boy turned away, walking back to a booth. The diner was illuminated by candles and they flickered as the boy walked. Axel's mouth watered as he caught the smell of steak and eggs.

"Excuse me. Do you have any food to spare?" He asked, reminded of how hungry he was. The boy glanced up and Axel caught an irritated expression on his face before he smoothed it out.

"I suppose." Not very inviting but Axel was too hungry to care. He slid in across from the boy who sighed and got up. "I'll get you a plate." He said shortly. Axel looked at the food longingly and carefully folded his hands as he waited. He really didn't want to get on the blonde's bad side. He was the only human he'd seen so far in this hideous place and Axel felt so much better just being near him. The boy was really cute too, which certainly didn't hurt.

_Thump. _Axel started slightly as the boy thumped a mug onto the table, sloshing hot liquid onto the scarred surface. He picked it up and took a tentative sip as the boy began dividing the food. He sighed at the taste of chamomile tea with honey. It wasn't his favorite but right now it was very welcome.

"Here." Axel looked at the plate as the boy pushed it over. It was just a small piece of steak and one egg, along with half of a piece of toast. He wasn't about to complain though. Picking up the toast he began to slowly eat, trying to stretch it out. "If you need more I think there's a bottle of pickled beets." The blonde reluctantly offered and Axel paused in his chewing. He actually hated pickled beets.

"Maybe a bit later." He said politely. If he was still hungry after the meal he would take the boy up on that. "I'm Axel McIntyre. You?"

"I'm Roxas." The boy didn't offer his last name and Axel was hesitant to ask. Besides, there were much better questions.

"So Roxas, what happened here?" He waved at the boarded up windows. The blonde shrugged, concentrating on his food. "Seriously. What happened to this place?"

"Nothing. It's always been this way." He said shortly and Axel boggled a bit at that answer. Roxas lifted his head and a quick flash of annoyance passed over his face, almost too quickly to see. But Axel caught it. He'd always been very good at reading expressions. "How did you get here?" Axel found himself explaining how he'd walked into town. The boy seemed a bit upset at his story, frowning as he ate. "It's amazing you got this far." He didn't sound pleased that he had but Axel ignored it.

"I'm always amazing." He said cheerfully. "My last boyfriend said so." Roxas shot him a sharp glance and Axel hoped he wasn't homophobic. The redhead was open about his sexuality and wasn't about to change. "So what's with this place? It seems so empty. Except for the – things." Axel couldn't think of what else to call that creature that had accosted him. Although maybe it was the only one. He hoped so but he doubted it. Roxas snorted at that and ate a bit of his egg.

"It's not entirely empty. There's a few other people." Roxas scowled for a moment. "There's a nutty guy in the forest and a bitch who likes to steal my room." Axel blinked and wondered if that was the room at the hotel. He decided not to mention that he'd stolen it a bit himself. "But that's about it. The monsters are everywhere. You should find a weapon." Roxas said and Axel frowned, eating a thin slice of his steak.

"But what happened?" He pressed and Roxas gave him a disgusted look. "Something must have happened. A town surrounded by mist that you can't leave isn't normal."

"Eat your food." Roxas said sharply and Axel hesitated before he finished the piece of toast. He was seeing a flat dislike in Roxas' eyes now. Maybe the kid was homophobic and just hiding it well. But Axel was getting a feeling of attraction between them. "No, it's not normal. If you believe the nutty guy in the woods we were drawn here by the pain in our hearts and this place wants to break us and absorb us. It seems likely enough but I refuse to be absorbed." His tone was sharp and angry. Axel hesitated, thinking about pain and winced faintly at the thought. He didn't want to think about his pain.

"Um, okay. But what caused it in the first place?" Roxas just shrugged and Axel resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be getting much out of the blonde. "Is there a way out?" Roxas paused and Axel tried in vain to read the expression that flashed over his face.

"There is. I've seen it." Axel tensed at that and Roxas slowly chewed on his steak. "It's impossible. Forget about it." The blonde said briskly and the redhead stared at him. Was the kid serious?

"No way. I want to get out of here." Axel reached across the table and took Roxas' hand, smiling as the blonde met his eyes with a startled look. He caught something in the kid's face that wasn't repulsion, not at all. Yeah, Roxas was gay too. He'd thought so but now he was sure. "Why don't we do it together?" He said innocently and Roxas suddenly smiled. It was an unpleasant smile and Axel felt vaguely alarmed. He started to pull his hand away but the blonde caught it.

"Yes, why don't we?" He murmured, blue eyes too bright. "Are you done?" Axel shoved a final mouthful in and swallowed before nodding. "Good. I'll show you on your way." That was all the warning he had before the blonde gripped his hair and slammed his head onto the table... onto the upturned steak knife.

Everything went dark.

* * *

"Hrk!" Axel jerked upright, staring around wildly. He was sitting on a cushion of moss in the forest, probably a park. "Oh my god. Was that a dream?" Axel gripped his face, feeling around his eye. He could still remember the incredibly _weird_ feeling of the knife entering his eye and scraping across the bone before it slid into his brain. It hadn't actually hurt much but Axel felt his nausea rising. He lurched to his feet and swallowed hard, managing to hold in his breakfast. It was a hard battle but he couldn't afford to waste the food.

"Shit." Lifting his head he gazed over the forest and shivered again. The trees were heavy pines that gave plenty of shade and lots of cover for anything trying to sneak up on him. Remembering Roxas' comment about a weapon he began searching for something he could use. He found a heavy branch and hefted it, deciding it would do. Hopefully he wouldn't need it but it was likely he would. And if he met Roxas again, he certainly would. Axel wasn't certain of what was going on but he was certain of one thing.

If he met the blonde again he was going to make him pay.


	3. Death Sucks

Author's Note: Sorry I'm a bit slow on updating. Work is being a pain. I hope this helps!

Axel had always had an active imagination.

That had been a bad thing when he'd been a child. Walking home in the dark, in the winter when the days were shorter, he couldn't count how many times he'd terrified himself with imaginary footsteps. They were only the echoes of his own footfalls but he could still imagine something coming up behind him. Something following him and mimicking his movements, stopping when he did.

He'd just discovered it was infinitely worse when you _knew_ something was following you. Green eyes darted through the dark trees, trying to find something he could use as a weapon. He couldn't find anything and cursed to himself before increasing his pace. He needed to get out of the woods. The shifting shadows were making it hard to see what was after him -

"Ah!" Axel spotted a dull glitter at the base of a tree. Quickly fumbling through the fallen leaves, he found an old rusted pipe. Or was that rust? It might be blood. Axel ignored the ugliness of the pipe, hefting it nervously. Whatever it looked like, it was a weapon and he felt better having it. Only slightly better though. If horror movies were any kind of guide it might not be enough. "Worry about that when it happens." Axel muttered. He had plenty to worry about in the forest.

The trees were dark and twisted. They seemed to reach out with twisted branches and the whorls of the bark made mocking, leering faces. Axel glanced behind him and spotted a shadow, quickly gaining on him. He ducked behind a tree and waited. There was a hesitation before the footsteps behind him resumed. Axel took a deep breath and concentrated. As soon as the thing came up he was going to beat it to death. He caught a flash of pink just before he swung.

"Yah!" Axel just barely managed to abort his swing before he could cave the other man's head in. Dark blue eyes regarded him curiously, without the slightest hint of fear. "Who the - why were you following me?" Axel demanded furiously. The stranger had astonishingly pink hair and a very handsome face, but something about him seemed cold. Maybe it was the way he smiled, showing far too many perfectly white teeth.

"I thought perhaps you were a monster." He said smoothly and Axel blinked, lowering his pipe. "I'm glad to see I was mistaken. My name is Marluxia. What is yours?"

"Axel." They shook hands and Axel vaguely wondered if the pink haired man was named after a flower. He seemed vaguely hippyish with the pink hair, although the black robe he was wearing didn't match. That seemed more like something out of a death cult. "Where is this place?" Marluxia shrugged.

"No where. Just a place." Axel glared at him and Marluxia smiled again, amused. "Call it limbo. It gets worse than this, I assure you."

"That's… great." Axel said warily. He wasn't sure if Marluxia was a fruit loop or not. Limbo sounded crazy but so was everything else that had happened so far. "So how do we leave?" Marluxia shook his head and gestured into the woods.

"We should discuss it at my cabin." He suggested then pulled out a water bottle. "Do you need a drink?" Axel nodded and took the bottle. He was really very thirsty after his trip through the woods. He took a dip drink and frowned at the slightly odd taste. Almost… herbal? Then he realized Marluxia was smiling at him like a Cheshire cat.

"Wait, what did… you…" His knees suddenly buckled as the world swirled around him. Axel hissed and tried to grab at Marluxia but the pink haired man easily stepped out of reach, laughing quietly. Axel felt himself falling and saw Marluxia's face getting closer even as it went fuzzy around the edges.

"You should have remembered that humans are dangerous too." The pink haired man advised him and Axel snarled at him and at himself. After Roxas, he really should have remembered that.

Then the world slipped away.

* * *

Axel awoke feeling warm and refreshed. Although he did feel fairly uncomfortable. He was slumped against a wooden wall, his back aching from sleeping in a slouched position. He tried to straighten and blinked as he realized he could hardly move. There were ropes tied around his wrists, securing him to a pipe. The redhead glanced around sharply, really taking in his surroundings.

He wished he hadn't. He was in a cabin, that much was clear, but the rest of it was something out of a fever dream or a nightmare. There was a huge pool set into the floor, filled with what looked like blood. A spiked wheel was set in the centre and Axel shuddered as he recognized what were clearly grooves to channel blood into the pool. For a moment he hoped this was just some gruesome way to collect animal blood but that was clearly not the case. The straps on the wheel were made for a man.

"Awake already?" Axel turned his head as Marluxia spoke. The pink haired man sounded displeased as he looked up from a strange piece of machinery. "I'm not done testing the equipment." Axel considered that and looked at the spiked wheel.

"Fucking disgusting." He snarled as he began trying to loosen the ropes. The one thing Marluxia didn't know was that he'd always had a knack for getting out of restraints. He'd made money from the other kids at school on it, betting he could get out of whatever knots they could tie. Axel had never anticipating needing it like this but he was up to the challenge. Long fingers hooked into the ropes and he quickly realized that Marluxia wasn't as good with knots as some of those kids had been. Now if he could just keep the pinkie distracted… "What's the point of this? You into homosexual sadism or what?" That made Marluxia laugh before he bent over his equipment again. Not looking at him, good.

"You might as well know." Marluxia sounded cooly amused, taking out a rag and oiling something as he spoke. "This world, this alternate dimension or nightmare, feeds on all those who enter it. Have you noticed that you don't stay dead here?"

"Uh, yes." Axel said cautiously. Marluxia flashed him a quick smile and Axel abruptly stopped his work at the ropes. But then the pink haired man went back to his work, still talking.

"Anyone with strength doesn't, at first. Most people can only endure one or two deaths before they are assimilated into this place. They become the creatures you have seen." Axel swallowed hard at that. That thing on the road had been a person? "The few of us who survive all try to find our way out, and we fail. Until now." Marluxia looked up and there was a manic brightness in his eyes. Axel quietly moved him into the 'absolutely bugnuts' category. "I will feed this place, strengthen it until it can burst forth into the real world. And then, I will be free!"

"By bringing limbo into reality? What about everyone else?" Axel asked and Marluxia grinned, a sharp, unpleasant expression.

"They don't matter. You don't matter. You are my instrument." Axel felt the knots give and glanced around for a weapon. There wasn't one but if he could just find the proper moment… Marluxia gave the gears one last polish and turned a lever. The wheel began to move and Axel frowned, trying to picture what that movement would do to someone strapped to it. Imagination failed which was probably just as well. "There will be no returns for you after you die on this wheel. Your blood will be a sacrifice to the god of this place. Hm." Marluxia walked over to the pool, eyeing the wheel critically. Axel tensed. He'd have one good shot at this.

Axel freed himself from the last of the ropes and lunged to his feet. Marluxia was just beginning to turn when he hit the man in the back, knocking him into the pool. Marluxia stumbled and looked almost offended before he fell onto the wheel. The spikes were as sharp as they looked and Axel gagged at the wet, meaty chunk as they slipped into flesh. The wheel spun, and even without the restraints the spikes moved apart and -

Axel gagged at the ripping sounds and looked away. A reflection of red caught his eye and he felt a tremble, a strange energy. He tensed, looking up and ignoring Marluxia's corpse. Surely that hadn't been enough to… but then he relaxed as nothing more happened. The pink haired man's death might have strengthened this place but not enough to do what he'd wanted. That much was clear.

"Okay. Okay. Get a grip Axel." He told himself firmly. "Let's loot the place and get out of here." Axel didn't feel safe here, even though it was a building. He'd felt safe in the diner. Was there any place he could sleep here? Although thanks to Marluxia's potion he wasn't tired at the moment. Pushing that thought aside, he quickly walked out of the sacrifice room and began searching through the house. "Gross." Marluxia's idea of housekeeping was disgusting with a side order of appalling. Axel shuddered as he saw roaches trying to avoid the light. "Hmm." That made him realize that the illumination here was oil lamps. Carefully unhooking one from the wall he took it with him, using it to light up the corners of the house. The kitchen was even worse and Axel had to hold his breath, but he managed to find a can of beans and a can opener. Everything else was some strange kind of jerky that smelled absolutely vile. He was sure he didn't want to touch it.

Finishing his search, Axel left the house and found that the fog had risen again. He briefly considered staying then discarded the idea. The cabin wasn't… right. He knew it wasn't safe although he couldn't have said how he knew. But from here he could see a path out of the woods, leading back to the town. No doubt that was where Marluxia had gotten the beans. Feeling considerably better, Axel started off down the road to head back into town. Maybe he'd go back to the diner and slap the shit out of Roxas. It was the least he could do to pay the blonde back for stabbing him in the head. Maybe then they could be friends. A bit farfetched, maybe, but he was starting to feel very alone.

That plan, minimal though it was, quickly came undone when he entered town.

"Roxas?" Axel blinked as he saw the blonde running towards him. He looked panicked and there was something moving in the mist behind him, a very large shape… "Oh shit!" Axel hesitated then gripped his lamp firmly. "Taste hot oil!" The creature lunging out of the fog bellowed. It was naked and hairless, flabby and - was that a penis? Axel decided he did not want to dwell on that and swung with all his might. "Hyah!" The glass shattered and the monster bellowed again as the oil cascaded over it and it tore at its' own flesh, trying to get rid of the fire. Axel hesitated a moment then followed Roxas, dropping the remains of the lantern. It wouldn't even make a good blunt weapon and he swore to himself, wishing he still had his pipe. But he caught up with Roxas easily. The blonde had stopped, leaning against the corner of a building and gasping. Axel gripped his shoulder firmly, swinging the blonde towards him. Roxas blinked at him and -

_**Crack!**_ Axel almost felt bad as Roxas' head rocked back from the force of the blow. Almost. Then he shoved the boy against the wall, ignoring the sob of pain as his head bounced against the bricks.

"Never do that to me again!" He snarled as Roxas' eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Never! You got it memorized?"

"Y-Yes." Roxas squirmed but Axel didn't let go. They were pressed tightly together and Axel swallowed as his libido kicked him at exactly the wrong moment. Why did Roxas have to be so damn cute? "Let me go."

"No." Axel tried to focus on business. "Tell me what you know about this place." He didn't believe a word Marluxia had said, although he didn't necessary disbelieve the crazy guy either. Roxas blinked and seemed to calm down a touch.

"This place? Are you stupid?" Roxas laughed harshly as Axel glowered at him. "We're in Hell." Axel blinked and glanced around. While he could imagine this being hell that idea just didn't seem right.

"We're not dead." He said with assurance and Roxas laughed again, a jagged sound that set his teeth on edge. "Marluxia thought this was some kind of limbo and it feeds on anyone who enters. He said the monsters used to be people." Roxas shook his head.

"That guy is crazy. It might be limbo an it might feed on us, but the monsters weren't people." Roxas sounded completely sure and Axel eyed him sceptically. "Not many people come here, certainly not enough to make all the monsters unless they turned into them immediately. And I don't think so."

"Hmm. Well, what's your theory?" Axel shifted, still painfully aware that he was so close to Roxas although he'd eased up a bit on the blonde. Roxas shrugged, the fabric of his shirt shifting between them.

"I don't have one. Larxene said you could get out through the haunted house. There's all kinds of puzzles there but they're not possible. I tried." Roxas' face seemed to shut down and Axel wondered what had happened to him there. But if there was any chance to get out, any chance at all…

"Maybe we could try together." He said encouragingly and Roxas glared at him, his eyes going damp again. "Really, things are easier when you do it with someone else."

"Shut up. You're stupid." Roxas muttered, shoving him half-heartedly. "I tried that already, it didn't work. Larxene's a bitch…" Axel wondered why Larxene was, then decided he didn't care. Roxas was so close. Surely they could be friends. And maybe more than friends…

"Roxas, believe me, I am not a bitch." He said earnestly as he cupped the blonde's cheek. Roxas' choked off laugh sounded more natural than it had before and Axel could see a glint in the blonde's big blue eyes. His cheek was reddening from that earlier slap and his lips were slightly parted. Axel found himself leaning over the boy, his lips so close to Roxas' that he could feel the blonde's breath. Roxas' eyes widened and he shifted, inadvertently rubbing against Axel. Their lips touched and -

Pain ripped through Axel, worse for being unexpected. He pulled his head away sharply and looked down at his chest. A rusty knife had ripped through his upper chest, just grazing Roxas' shoulder. For a brief moment he was thankful the blonde was so much shorter or they'd both be dead. Blood loss and imminent death brought a strange clarity to his mind and Axel glanced behind them, surprised to see the same naked monster he'd decked with the lantern. It seemed undamaged and he'd thought for sure… and how had it managed to sneak up on them? The monster tried to yank out the blade but it was stuck on something, grinding against bone. Axel was vaguely aware of Roxas shoving him away and running again before the blade was torn out in a gout of blood.

_I really suck at this. _Was his last thought before the darkness claimed him for a second time.


End file.
